The Warlocks & The Choir Kids
by Black Gargie
Summary: Based on my fav children story THE WITCHES & THE SINGING MICE, this is my version with casts from the DC manga!
1. Intro of Casts

A/N: Hi, it's me again, contributing to this webbie on the issue of Shinichi/Heiji yaoi-ness! I have to emphasize that I still am not a 100 fan of Detective Conan, but still, I am an avid fan of yaoi, so there! This story is based on one of my most favourite children books of mine: **THE WITCHES & THE SINGING MICE** by Jenny Nimmo. The story and the intensity of the plot was so captivating and I couldn't help feeling the utmost respect for cats that would go the distance to serve their masters. And they say cats were born cold and emotionless, hah! Anyway, this is a parody I created using characters from the manga Detective Conan, so it's pretty much human here. Everyone is a role player in this story and have nothing to do with the original characteristics of the manga. Just treat it like the casts of DC doing a school play, OK? Before we start the story, I would like to introduce the characters and the role they play, just in case you get confused.

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Detective Conan (coz I don't want to) and I do not claim any ownership on Jenny Nimmo's works.

THE WARLOCKS & THE CHOIR KIDS

**INTRODUCTION OF CASTS:**

**SHINICHI** – Plays the role of Tam, the blacksmith's cat

**HEIJI** – Plays the role of Rory, the carpenter's cat

**KOGORO MOURI** – Plays the role of Andrew McBride the blacksmith

**PROF. AKASA** – Plays the role of Alec Ross the carpenter

**RAN** – Plays the role of Kirsty, the blacksmith's daughter

**KAZUHA** – Plays the role of Jamie, the carpenter's daughter (actually, it's a son, but for this story, I will have to need her)

**KAITO KID** – Plays the role of Granny Pine

**DETECTIVE MEGURE** – Plays the role of the weaver

**GIN, VODKA & AI HAIBARA** – Plays the role of the three witches (I couldn't find another guy to play the role of the 3rd witch, and I don't wanna use Kid the Grand Thief coz he doesn't look good in black and evil. Since Ai Haibara was once the member of Gin & Vodka's team, she fits better)

**AYUMI, GENTA & MITSUHIKO** – Plays the role of the singing mice (Mitsuhiko as the King-mouse and Ayumi as the Queen-mouse. Genta will be an extra character)

A/N: Well, these are pretty much the roles I can think of for DC's main characters. For those who like the character Kyoko (is that her name?), Ran's best friend, gomen, but I just dunno what role to put her in. She's not too much of big manga role to me anyways, although Conan uses her for case-breaking. I know, very funny indeed, but that's how it goes. Enjoy the show!


	2. Cold Night

A/N: Well, this fic would be more on a shounen-ai than a yaoi business, but then again, what's the diff? Anywho, let's get on with the show! Curtains, lights, camera…ACTION!!!

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Detective Conan (coz I don't want to) and I do not claim any ownership on Jenny Nimmo's works.

THE WARLOCKS & THE CHOIR KIDS

On stormy night, when winter foxes still roamed the snowy ancient hills, three warlocks came to Hokkaido and into Kaisen Mura (made that up). No one saw them come but Shinichi, the blacksmith's apprentice, and Heiji, the carpenter's assistant, who were watching from the resting hut, their favourite hangout.

Through the scream of the wind and the rumble of thunder, the childhood friends' sharp ears picked up the sound of hoof beats. A huge black horse, that looked almost like a Thestral from Harry Potter, was toiling up the road, and a heavy wagon creaked behind it. They ducked under the table and crouched low, wondering what kind of human could be traveling on such night, and when the wagon passed, they shuddered from the tips of their hair right through to the ends of their toes.

Three dark figures were leaning into the wild wind; one held a whip, one held a lantern and the third stared into the hut with terrible glittering eyes. And the freaky thing was they were all wearing pitch-black clothes. They weren't sure whether the person who was staring at the hut saw them, but they weren't taking any chances of coming out from under the table.

"I smell mischief," Shinichi hissed.

"I smell worse, Conan," Heiji grunted, calling his friend by his childhood nickname. "I think I smell a scary mystery or maybe even death."

"Who do you think they could be, Heiji?" Shinichi asked, slowly crawling out of the table as soon as the wagon was out of sight.

"I don't know, but we gotta keep our heads up. Let's go home now and get some sleep, coz I bet it'll be the last good sleep we'll get for many a night."

They bid their goodbyes and quickly rushed back to their respective masters' home. But they slept fitfully. Strange sounds disturbed their dreams—a clattering and a hammering that had nothing to do with the weather. It made such a noise that almost everyone in Kaisen Mura couldn't sleep. By the next morning the storm had rolled away. The sun burst over the hill and the villagers of Kaisen Mura bustled into the street. There they scratched their heads and murmured in disbelief, for overnight the tumbledown building on the Kaisen Hill had been given a new roof; the crooked walls had been patched with stones and smoke poured from the chimney.

Even Shinichi and Heiji, who were hanging out again together at the resting hut for a game of Japanese chess before work time, couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the massive dark building up at the hill. They looked at each other knowingly, convinced that what they saw last night was not a dream and that those three ghostly people were no ordinary beings.

"Who can be living there?" Kogoro Mouri, the blacksmith, asked.

"And who would build a house with only a peephole for a window?" Ran, his daughter, asked.

"Who could work on such a stormy night?" Akasa, the carpenter, asked.

"A magician?" His daughter Kazuha suggested.

"Or a witch?" Ran said.

"Baka! Who would believe such a thing!" the blacksmith and the carpenter laughed.

But Ran and Kazuha walked away from the laughter and headed up the hill, eager to see who could be living in the windowless house. Shinichi and Heiji wanted to stop them but they were called by their masters to hurry along back to the workshop for work. The girls had not climbed far, however, when someone emerged from the house on the hill. The figure wore a black hat, with long, flowing golden brown hair, and had a long coat as dark as night that hung over his face in heavy folds, and he moved towards the children like a dark pillar of smoke. Kazuha and Ran almost screamed as they ran helter-skelter down the hill, wanting only to be safe from that cloudy figure.

"Matte, matte, Ran," Kogoro said as she raced into the yard. "Daijobu deska? Have you seen a ghost?"

"Not a ghost, Otosan, a…a…" But she could not finish, for there, moving soundlessly into the yard, was the stranger in his gray shroud.

"O…Ohayo gozaimas, and what can I do for you?" Kogoro asked, a little shaken by his mysterious visitor but determined to be polite.

"Blacksmith, I want you to make me a bed," he said, and his voice sent a chill through the man. "A big iron bed with a bronze moon at the head and a bronze star at the foot. And I want it tonight."

"Nani?! A bed like that by tonight! I cannot make it by tonight!" Kogoro said, standing his ground. "I have work to do for the other folk. Come back in three days and I'll see what I can do."

"You will do what I want today!" he screeched.

"Ie, I will not! Not by tonight!"

"Then it'll be the worse for you," the man snarled, and as he whirled away, he turned on Ran such a furious, cold glance with his icy-blue eyes that Ran, feeling dizzy, knelt and clung to Shinichi, who was bringing in the utensil for work. He caught her just in time.

"Da…Daijobu deska, Ran-sama?"

"Stay with me tonight, Conan," she begged suddenly. "I'm scared to be alone in the dark. That strange man is gonna roam around and get us for sure!"

"Ho…Honto ni?" Shinichi asked in disbelief, his cheeks blushing pink like peaches. "But…But Ran-sama, I can't be in your room alone. I'm prohibited to even go anywhere too close to you…"

"Onegai, Conan," Ran said, begging him with her puppy eyes. "I'm really, really scared. I'll speak to Otosan about this, don't you worry. Just please promise me you'll protect me tonight. Onegai…?"

"Ha…Hait, Ran-sama," Shinichi agreed hesitantly, his heart jumping with joy. He had always wanted to be close to his little miss. He had a crush on her ever since he was accepted as an apprentice in Kogoro Mouri's workshop. He swore that he would go to the ends for her, even if it means going to hell and back again. He smiled and stroke Ran's cheek gently before she walked away to tell her father about her plan.

It wasn't easy though. Ran had to do a lot of begging and Shinichi a lot of guarantees and promises for that. In the end Kogoro reluctantly agreed. Shinichi happily told Heiji about it and Heiji punched his shoulder playfully, congratulating him for being such a lucky son-of-a-gun. But somehow, deep down inside him, he couldn't help feeling that Ran is trying to keep his best friend all to herself. Sooner or later if they got steady, he probably wouldn't be able to hang out with him like they used to.

He didn't know why he felt this way though.

That night the blacksmith's apprentice followed Ran when she went to bed. After what seemed like a long time of lecturing from his master not to even lay a finger on her, he was finally allowed to hang out in her room. He blushed as he watched Ran for the first time in her nightgown and her fluffy bed. She showed him where she keeps her spare mattress and he laid it on the floor beside her bed.

"Oyasumi nasai, Ran-sama," Shinichi said as he got into his night clothes.

"Oyasumi nasai, my hero," Ran said as she turned around to sleep.

He soon curled himself comfortably in the blanket and heard her drift into her dreams, but Shinichi knew that he had to steel himself for a sleepless and watchful night. He saw the moon sail into the snowy sky. He smelled the dew on the leaves of the fir tree beside her room window and he closed one eye. It would be so good to have a little nap, but he knew he must not. He listened for footfalls, for anything that might bring harm to his little miss Ran, but all he heard were owl crying and bats calling. Suddenly he heard a faraway song. It was a drowsy, dreamy song. He wasn't sure where it came from and who or what sang this but it was such delightful music, that he was sure only the fairies could have made it. He yawned and closed his other eye. Surely Ran would come to no harm if he slept for just a minute or two…

A/N: CUT! Are you sure you wanna do this, Shinichi? You'll be in big trouble! Reviews plz!


	3. Spells & Curses

A/N: So whaddaya think will happen next? Let's continue reading, shall we?

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Detective Conan (coz I don't want to) and I do not claim any ownership on Jenny Nimmo's works.

THE WARLOCKS & THE CHOIR KIDS

Shinichi woke up the next morning feeling an unnatural chill in the room. It felt so cold, as if the house of Mouri the blacksmith has been caved in with snow. When he got up to check out his little miss, he was shocked to see Ran lying cold and still—too still. He gently patted her cheek, but she did not stir. Shinichi felt the chill strike deep inside him, like an piece of icicle jabbed through his gut.

"Ran!" Mrs. Mouri called. "Get up, girl. Come and help me in the kitchen."

Ran did not move. Shinichi was going weak all over. He felt so scared that he couldn't control the dreadful wail that tore out of his mouth. Mr. and Mrs. Mouri heard him and came running into the room.

"Doushite, Shinichi? What's wrong?" Mrs. Mouri cried, and then she saw Ran's face, deathly pale on the patched pillow. She shook her daughter and called her name over and over, but Ran was held fast in some terrible enchantment. And as her mother desperately rubbed the slender fingers, Shinichi saw a tiny bruise on Ran's wrist and was filled with shame. Kogoro Mouri saw them too.

"You wretched boy! You baka!" he yelled. "Someone has come into our Ran's room and poisoned her, and all the while you slept beside her. And I trusted you! Shame on you for being a lazy good-for-nothing!"

Shinichi did not wait to hear any more. He couldn't stand the guilt. He ran out of the house and crept under a thorn bush, the thorns cutting through his fair skin as he went. And there he stayed, disgraced, watching Ran's window, regardless of the fact that the thorns in the thorn bush were pricking and cutting him like a thousand tiny knives, making him bleed. He believed he deserved this punishment anyway.

Moments later he saw Shounen Kid, the youngest and wisest in all the village, as he arrived at the house. He had brought his brass cane and his basket of herbs and medical gadgets, and as Kogoro Mouri drew him inside, there was a gleam of hope in his eyes. But when they came out, the hope was gone.

"It's the legendary Choir Kids," he said and shook his head. "One pinch and the victim sleeps forever."

"Ma…Masaka…That cannot be," Kogoro argued. "The Choir Kids disappeared in my father's time, and they've never been heard of since."

"Well, they're back," Shounen Kid said. "There's no doubt about it. And I cannot undo their sorcery." He looked solemnly at his brass cane and his basket of herbs and gadgets. "But there is a chance," he murmured thoughtfully and whispered something into Kogoro's ear that seemed to cheer the man.

"Shinichi! Shinichi, where are you?" Kogoro called.

But Shinichi would not go to him. He would not go to the house for his dinner and he would not even join Heiji who called him to hang out at the resting hut. He lay all night beneath the thorn bush, watching Ran's window. And in the morning he stayed there still—bleeding, dirty, cold and hungry as he was. Heiji walked over and approached him.

"Hey, Conan. Why the long face?"

Shinichi just stared quietly at him, then back at Ran's window.

"What happened to Ran? I heard she got into some sort of Sleeping Beauty mode or something…Conan?"

Still, no reply.

"Hey, Conan, if you don't tell me what's going on, I won't be able to understand what you're feeling right now. Please, talk to me."

No reply.

"At least let me treat your wounds. You look terrible."

Shinichi shook his head, his eyes never leaving Ran's window. No matter how Heiji try to bring him into conversation, he seemed to fall on deaf ears. It was like he never even heard him at all. In the end, he had to leave him alone as his little miss Kazuha called him back to the workshop.

Heiji did not understand why his friend crouched alone all day and would not talk to him. He was even worried and sad when Shinichi refused to be treated of his wounds. Puzzled and lonely, he went to play with Kazuha in the carpenter's yard. He, too, was also having a crush on her as Shinichi did Ran, but her family was more open-minded about them being together. He was chasing a ball thrown over by Kazuha when he felt an icy wind blast into the yard, and the hair on the back of his neck bristled uncomfortably.

There in the gateway stood a motionless figure. He was also wrapped in a black outfit like his brother, but he was fatter and fiercer, and he wore a pair of sunglasses.

"Ohayogozaimas. It's a fine day," Akasa said, trying to be pleasant. "Can I help you?"

"I want a cupboard," the man demanded. "A big oak cupboard with ivy leaves carved on the door, and I want it tonight."

"You gotta be kidding me, man," Akasa replied. "I have no oak cupboards and I certainly can't make one in a day."

"Then it'll be the worse for you," the man said, and as he turned away, his sunglasses glittered evilly and rested on young Kazuha, who was laughing and chasing Heiji and did not see the look. Heiji also didn't notice the glint as he was so engrossed in having fun with Kazuha and making her happy.

That night Heiji sat in his usual haunt, waiting for Shinichi, hoping he would join him. His bright eyes searched the fields for a sign of movement, but it was a bitter, frosty night and no rats or voles were stirring. Then he heard a soft crunch of a ball on the icy ground and saw a small figure drift across the street, as in a dream. Young Kazuha was coming out of her cozy home and was making for the dark house on the hill. Swift as a hawk, Heiji ran out of the hut and was after the girl. He was about to catch up with her when on the hill path a sound of wonderful singing surrounded him. It filled him with longing, and he knew why the girl was drawn to it. It sang of love, of friendship, of passion and of sorrow. It sang of the four seasons of the earth. It was a combination of some many other songs that mingled and twisted itself into a melodious, bewitching tune. He sank into the bracken, not knowing if he was tumbling into the song or the song into him, and at last he fell into a sweet, dreamless sleep…

A/N: OK, now Heiji has ended into the same predicament. What could be happening to Kaisen Mura? Reviews plz!


	4. Advice & Hope

A/N: What will be the fate of Kaisen Mura now that those weird three black people are here? you just have to keep on reading or you won't know a thing!

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Detective Conan (coz I don't want to) and I do not claim any ownership on Jenny Nimmo's works.

THE WARLOCKS & THE CHOIR KIDS

The next morning Akasa found his daughter fast asleep on the doorstep. She was stiff and cold in her nightie and he could not wake her. As he carried Kazuha into the house, the carpenter saw the tiny bruise on the girl's wrist and he knew that his daughter suffered from the same dreadful sickness as Ran Mouri. Heiji woke up almost too late from his deep sleep in the bracken and when he got there and saw the deathly, cold aura about the house, he knew what was coming for him.

"What use is an assistant if he can't keep an intruder from our house?!" Akasa's wife cried as soon as she caught sight of Heiji, throwing angrily at Heiji with anything she could get her hands on. "You useless boy! I should've known we trusted you too much! Get out of our house, now!!"

Heiji guiltily accepted the blows inflicted on him, not moving from where he stood.

"There's more than intruders at work here," the carpenter said as he tried to calm his wife down. "Why should our daughter leave her bed on a frosty night? Sorcery, that's what it is!"

Heiji slunk away with his bruised body, ashamed and sad. He couldn't believe that he would be sleeping on the job. He was supposed to protect his little miss, but he failed. Now he understood what his best friend was musing about all this while. On his way to the resting hut, he met Shinichi in the street, and the two boys strolled together, sharing their terrible news.

"I heard about Kazuha," Shinichi said.

"Yeah, well, I guess I understand now how you feel," Heiji said. "But why didn't you tell me? You could've warned me if this was going to happen. I might have been able to protect Kazuha."

"Gomen…" Shinichi looked away, looking guilty. Heiji regretted ever saying that.

"Su…Sunimase. You still haven't gotten over the shock yet, of course you couldn't warn me."

Shinichi gave him a wry smile, but he was still trying to fight the guilty feeling for not able to save Ran.

"Do your wounds still hurt? You look like you've been into some samurai war," Heiji said as he touched one of the cuts on Shinichi's cheek, which Shinichi winced from.

"Itai…"

"Come on, Conan. Let me treat you of your wounds."

"Ie…" Shinichi shook his head. "I'm fine. Leave me like this."

"Conan, I am not going to tolerate this childishness!" Heiji exclaimed with his hands on his hips. "We are going to the resting hut right now and you are going to be treated whether you like it or not! That means all your wounds will be disinfected and plastered, you understand me?!"

"Ha…Hait…" Shinichi shrank. Heiji can be very scary and fierce if he has to. "I'll do it already. You don't have to yell. You need some medication yourself, anyways."

"Good," Heiji said as he tugged Shinichi's sleeve, careful not to touch the wound. "Let's get going."

As they passed the weaver's cottage on their way to the resting hut, they felt a hush behind them, like an indrawn breath that swallowed even the birds' song.

The two boys ducked into the shadow of a sakura tree close by Megure, the weaver's door. This time, they saw a woman with short brown hair dressed in dark outfit just like her brothers and smelling of chemicals and alcohol, shorter than her brothers and even fiercer. She rapped on the door and when Megure opened it, she said in a cruel voice, "Weaver, I want a hundred yards of black cloth and I want it tonight!"

"Nani?! A hundred yards?" the chubby Megure exclaimed. "I have no black cloth, and I cannot weave it all in one day. Such a task is impossible."

"Then it'll be the worse for you!" the woman said, and as she whirled away, her deep blue eyes darted past Megure to the baby girl who slept in his wife's arms. Shinichi almost went cold when he recognized that glare.

The dark figure swooped up the hill in her gloomy crow colours and the two boys gazed helplessly at each other.

"That glare," Shinichi said. "I've seen that glare before. Her first brother gave that glare to Ran the day Kogoro-sama refused his request."

"We must do something, Conan," Heiji said. "Or like Ran and Kazuha, that poor baby will sleep forever."

"Let us go to Shounen Kid," Shinichi suggested. "His herbs may be useless against the sleeping sickness, but he is still the wisest in the village. He will surely give us some advice."

When they got to his house after quite a while of walking and running, they were quite surprised to see, for the first time, the home of Kaisen Mura's wisest man. It was like a palace compared to the rest of the houses in Kaisen Mura and it sure stood out from the rest, with its structure made of the finest wood and the doors and windows made out of the finest materials anyone could find. Not only was he the wisest, but probably the richest as well.

Shounen Kid was out on the hill, so the boys sneaked through his window. They gazed at the herbs and the berries and heather; so many bright bottles, so many fragrant bowls. Not to mention the medicinal gadgets displayed there that they have never exactly seen before. They crept close to his fire to wait. Shounen Kid soon came back with his basket in his arm. He saw them and smiled.

"Well, it's Shinichi and Heiji, isn't it?" Shounen Kid said, twilight following him into the room in his sleek white suit and white hat. "Come for advice, have you?"

"Hait, Shounen Kid," Shinichi said. "We need help from you and we kinda need it fast."

"Honto?" Shounen Kid asked.

"Honto ni," Heiji chimed in. "We want to know if there is a cure for our little misses."

"There is a way to cure Kazuha and Ran," the young man said. "If you can bring two freshly killed Choir Kids to the blacksmith and the carpenter, their children will be saved. But you must stay awake through the bewitching song, or you are lost!"

"Na…Nani…?" Shinichi stammered. "We actually have to kill those kids?"

"That's the way it has to be," Shounen Kid replied.

"Don't you think it's a little bit too…extreme?" Heiji asked hesitantly. "I mean we have to kill two kids in order to save our little misses. We have to become like, well, like murderers. I would not drag my best friend into this. Never."

"Well, do you want to save your little misses or not? Or do you guys want to just sit in a corner together hugging each other in self-pity as you watch your little misses sleep their lives away along with the other victims…until it reaches the both of you?"

Shinichi and Heiji didn't know what to say.

"Glad that we've understood each other. Watch those warlocks now and follow them," Shounen Kid said. He tapped each boy's forehead with his brass cane and for a moment they glimmered like fairy creatures. "A little magic to give you strength," he said. "Be off with you now, for soon those warlocks will be on the move."

"Umm…Before that," Heiji said as he pointed at Shinichi's wounds all over his body, "can you do something about these wounds on Conan here?"

"Hey, you too, you know!" Shinichi pointed accusingly at Heiji's bruises.

"Hait," Shounen Kid grinned and used the cane to magic his clothes off, revealing his bare body. With his special ointments, he lathered it all over Shinichi's wounds. Heiji watched him do it and couldn't help blushing. He didn't know why though. Maybe it's because it is the first time he had ever seen Shinichi naked. Shounen Kid stole a look at Heiji and grinned knowingly as he waited for the wounds to close up before he magic the clothes back on him. He repeated the same process on Heiji and he saw the same reaction Heiji had towards Shinichi on Shinichi himself. He grinned even more.

"Off you go now, boys," Shounen Kid said after he magic Heiji's clothes back on him. "And remember, be careful."

Shinichi and Heiji nodded and walked out into the starlight, with their heads high and their golden eyes beaming eagerly into the night.

A/N: OK! I can see a slight twist in this friendship here. What do you think? Reviews plz!


	5. The Battle Begins

A/N: How are they going to save Kaisen Mura and everyone in it, I dunno. You gotta keep on reading.

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Detective Conan (coz I don't want to) and I do not claim any ownership on Jenny Nimmo's works.

THE WARLOCKS & THE CHOIR KIDS

A thin pine yawned over the warlocks' wrinkled roof and when the boys reached the house, they skimmed up to a branch beside the peephole window.

Peering into the room, they saw a round table with a tall candle in the center. The flames guttered in a draft that blew down the chimney, and strange shadows danced across the walls. Now the boys could see the warlocks; their hoods were down and their long hair straggled on their bony shoulders (except the fat one). Their faces were gray, their eyes were green and they wore dreadful glinting, sharp-toothed smiles. The warlocks reeled around the room, and as they did so, their features began to change and the dark flying shapes were pierced with glittering eyes, flashing teeth and knife-edged silver claws.

All at once and with a deafening shriek the dancing ended. The warlocks seemed to have vanished, and in their place three black wolves paced around the room. They polished their whiskers and sharpened their claws, then snapping at shadows, they ran out of the door.

"We must follow, hayai!" Shinichi whispered.

"At a distance," Heiji said. "If they see us, we will never solve this mystery."

Silent and skillful, Shinichi and Heiji climbed out of the tree. The three black wolves were heading toward the forest on the other side of the hill. Even the men from Kaisen Mura seldom hunted there, for it was literally wolves' and bears' territory and a dark and dangerous place. Not only that, there were even rumours about the mythical kurama lurking around to trick and bait people into their trap. But the two boys, thinking only of Ran and Kazuha, moved soundlessly after the warlocks.

As they drew near to the forest, sweet music issued from the trees and the two boys began to falter. They sat back on their haunches, their heads spinning and looked at each other in dismay.

"The Choir Kids," Heiji breathed. "We are lost, Conan. I am falling asleep."

Frosty moonlight spilled onto the hill and the cobwebs that festooned the bracken glittered like strands of diamonds. Shinichi glanced drowsily at Heiji and sweeping at the cobwebs, he thrust a handful deep into each ear. Without a word Heiji did the same. Deaf now to the bewitching song, they sped down the hill, anxious not to lose sight of the warlocks. When they reached the trees, however, the three black wolves had vanished.

"Now where the heck can they be?" Shinichi muttered, forgetting the fact that Heiji couldn't hear him. He stared at Heiji who was scouting the area to see where they could've possibly gone to and couldn't help feeling a heartthrob beating through his chest. He had never felt like this towards Heiji before. It felt…different. It felt almost like the way he crushed on Ran, but slightly deeper. It was like…as if…as if he was…

'Baka! That couldn't be it!' Shinichi denied. 'I can't be in love with Heiji! He's my best friend! Besides, I like Ran-sama! My heart is for Ran-sama, not for…I'm a straight person now…am I?'

Heiji realized that he was being stared at and turned to Shinichi, which Shinichi quickly looked away, blushing red. Finally, deciding to trust in their sixth sense, Shinichi and Heiji entered the forest. Ancient trees grinned and threatened, tangled roots caught and tripped their feet; and branches cut through their already healed skin, but the proud boys pressed on until they found themselves on the fringe of a glade lit by flames. The three black wolves were circling a fire, and their smiles were so wild and wicked that Shinichi and Heiji almost turned back at the sight of them. But as their eyes became accustomed to the fierce light, they saw small figures dressed in white moving beneath the trees, and they knew they had found the Choir Kids.

Shinichi and Heiji leapt into a tree just as the black wolves ceased their wild walk. They faced the crowd of little children, and one of the wolves, the one with a streak of golden brown across his head, stepped forward.

The children stared up at her fearfully, and Shinichi and Heiji swept the cobwebs out of their ears. They couldn't believe their eyes: the Choir Kids were literally children no older than 7, and they were all dressed in white clothes from head to toe, with a pair of silver fairy-like wings that glittered under the fire. All of them had strawberry-blonde hair and matching blue eyes and looked like little angels standing before three huge demons. The glade was silent; a warlock was about to speak.

"Children," he said. "You have pleased us. You have punished the blacksmith and the carpenter, but it is not enough. Today the weaver refused me. He has a baby. You must sing it to sleep and club it. If you do not, you know what will happen!" And he raised a paw that glittered with razor-sharp claws.

Out of the crowd crept three children. Two of them were slightly different than the rest of the crowd. They have silver blonde hair and silver eyes, with wings of gold and glittered more magnificent than the other Choir Kids and they had tiny crowns above their heads. The third person was chubby, with no wings and holding a club, and looked just like the rest of the Choir Kids. Shinichi and Heiji assumed that they were the King and Queen and the Guardian of the Choir Kids.

"We have decided not to harm any more children," the King said. "Our power of songs is supposed to be used to calm travelers and people who get lost in the woods and guide people who search for them to find those poor lost souls, and the power of our Guardian Genta's club is to punish those who do not cherish and try to destroy our natural homes. We're not supposed to use them on young teens and kids to make them sleep forever! This is not our way!"

"You will do as we say, King Mitsuhiko," the wolves snarled, "or we will kill every one of you!"

"We have made our decision," the Queen piped up. "We will not bite children! Hurting little kids for your own satisfaction was not part of the bargain!"

"Foolish Queen Ayumi!" the warlocks shrieked, and they pounced upon the little kids and struck them with their terrible claws.

The two royal children rolled over and lay still.

"You'll pay for this!" Genta yelled as he raised his club to hit the warlocks, but in vain. He, too, suffered the same fate as one of the warlocks smashed him onto the tree Shinichi and Heiji were hiding, making him bleed from head to toe, much to the horrified Choir Kids.

"We must finish those warlocks, once and for all," Shinichi whispered, and together he and Heiji leapt from their tree onto the three black wolves.

The warlock-wolves had claws that burned, teeth that sank into the very bone and the strength of a hundred dogs. But Shinichi and Heiji clung on until even their eyes began to fail. Shinichi, armed with an iron mallet, and Heiji, armed with a chisel and a hammer, attacked the wolves again and again without even stopping for breath. Using whatever weapons they've obtained from their masters' workshop, they were bent on the kill and were slightly deafened by the shrill howls and shrieks made by the wolves as they pound them over and over. They could hear the cries and screams of the Choir Kids as they ran for cover. They thought they must be fighting in their sleep and that when they woke, they would find themselves in the barn.

But when Shinichi and Heiji opened their eyes at last, they were in the forest and the taste of blood told them they had not been dreaming. Beside them were three motionless, bloodied forms and around them were their work tools used as weapons, drenched entirely in blood.

"Dead!" Heiji said. "And look, there are the King and Queen of the Choir Kids."

Shinichi and Heiji limped over towards the body of King Mitsuhiko and Queen Ayumi. They lay their motionless, stained in blood with a wound fatal by the warlocks' blow. The fascinating thing was their blood was not red, but silver-blue in colour.

"Well, at least we didn't have to kill them," Shinichi said. "The warlocks did it for us. Kuso, my body hurts worse than before!"

"To think that Shounen Kid went through loads of trouble and herbs trying to cure our wounds," Heiji sighed helplessly. "Come on, let's take these kids to our masters. Boy, what a painful way to die."

With but one thought the two boys picked up a tiny body, and carrying them gently in their arms, they crept out of the glade.

A/N: Yippee! The good triumphs over evil as usual! Yahoo! Quick and read if you wanna know the ending of this epic tale! Reviews plz!


	6. The End of a Nightmare, The Beginning of...

A/N: Hello, hello, hello! Welcome to the epilogue of our journey through this parody! I hope everything's cool. Let's get on with the show, ladies and gents!

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Detective Conan (coz I don't want to) and I do not claim any ownership on Jenny Nimmo's works.

THE WARLOCKS & THE CHOIR KIDS

The villagers of Kaisen Mura were awake. Ghastly sounds from the forest had invaded their dreams and they were gathered in the street, bewildered and afraid.

"Look there!" Akasa said as two shadows limped over the brow of the hill.

When the two boys hobbled into the lamplight, they were so bedraggled and covered with blood and wounds, they could scarcely be recognized. But Kogoro Mouri exclaimed, "Why, it's Shinichi and Heiji. You brave boys! You have brought us Choir Kids!"

"You didn't…kill them, did you?" Megure asked tentatively. Shinichi and Heiji shook their heads weakly before their knees gave way. A few other villagers caught them just in time before their faces hit the ground.

The blacksmith and the carpenter took the two little children—almost like dolls in their arms—and placed them in the arms of the sleeping Ran and Kazuha, while Shounen Kid gathered the boys into his arms and to his home up the hills. But even after he had rubbed ointment into their wounds and fed them nourishments, they would not rest.

"Oi, oi," Shounen Kid said as he pushed them all back on their beds. "Where do you think you two bakasaru-s are going?"

"We must keep watch," Shinichi said. "There's no telling when those warlocks are coming back to life."

"Hello! I heard you guys practically like bombarded those warlocks with dozens of utensils from your workshop. They sure are useful as well as lethal. I bet they're already mush by now!"

"Ie, we're not taking any chances." Heiji agreed as he got off the bed. "We have to stand guard. We must…"

"Hold you horses, lover boys. You're not going anywhere until your wounds are cured. Now be good boys and lie down."

Shounen Kid's stern voice forced them to oblige, but as soon as Shounen Kid fell asleep, they sneaked out of their beds and out of his home back down the hill towards Kaisen Mura. They went to sit on the rooftop of their resting hut under the stars, keeping watch and a lookout for any signs of the warlocks' return. There is no telling what mighty powers they might possess, and who knows, they might even have the power to rejuvenate themselves. They fear not only for their little misses, but also for the village.

"That was really bad fight we've just been through," Shinichi commented. "I never thought I would've lived through this if it weren't for you."

"Well, I can't take all the credit," Heiji said. "I gotta admit, Conan, that thing with the iron mallet, really packs a punch. That was a real killer."

"What can I say? Kogoro-sama always insisted on the best materials and the best equipment. You were pretty good with the chisel and all though. I never knew that even nails could kill."

"It's enough to even drill a hole through your palm, what else do you think it can do?"

"Ouch!" Shinichi winced, imagining the nails going through his hands.

As they continued to stare into the horizon and keep watch for any false moves, it was Heiji's turn to stare at Shinichi. He blushed slightly as he watched him staring solemnly out there with his inquisitive, wary eyes, always on the lookout for the wellbeing of everyone. Shinichi has always been this way. He was always serious about taking care of other people's benefits and safety and his loyalty towards the blacksmith's family was incredible. There were times when Ran got mad at him and did a karate-chop on him or even used him as a punching bag whenever she's in a bad mood. There were other times when Kogoro yelled and complained about his help, questioning about his ability in the art of blacksmith, and often on the lookout to see if he were harassing or close to his daughter in any way, but still Shinichi remained with them. Any other normal guys would've just split. Not Shinichi.

"Conan," Heiji said as he inched his hand closer towards Shinichi's unaware one. "I was thinking…what did Shounen Kid meant by calling us 'lover boys'?"

Shinichi was knocked out of his solemn trance for a moment, blushing slightly before replying, "I dunno. Doushite?"

"I think you know. I think we all know what he meant, and I, for one, am not going to pretend about that."

With that, he reached out and grasped Shinichi's hand tight. Shinichi stared at Heiji's sun-kissed skin on his hand and blushed even redder. He knew from the beginning what Shounen Kid meant about what Heiji just said. His crush for Ran never existed. Come to think of it, it's all about loyalty. There's nothing to do with his true feelings for Ran. Ran was just his little miss he had to serve. That's all there is to it. Nothing else. His true crush is just right there, right in front of his eyes, and there's no way anything else could compare that.

Needless to say, their lips met, engulfing themselves in a deep, passionate kiss. They did not part until they heard the cries of joy in the houses beneath them as Kazuha and Ran woke up.

"They are safe!" Shinichi sighed.

"Sugoi!" Heiji said. "Let's go check them out."

What a fuss the girls made of their two wounded heroes. There was so much cuddling and kissing, hugging and thanking, Shinichi and Heiji practically felt suffocated with all the attention. Kogoro and Akasa were so grateful that they were willing to let their daughters marry Shinichi and Heiji, but they declined their nice offer. For them, it's enough to be just together.

"It's a strange thing," Kogoro remarked, "but the children we put in Ran's embrace had disappeared by this morning."

"So had ours," Akasa replied.

Shinichi and Heiji looked toward the hill and thought of the dark forest beyond. The Choir Kids would be welcoming their King and Queen. For surely in dying for a child those two good children had regained their lives. And they hoped that Genta the Guardian would also regain life for sacrificing for his royal master and mistress.

The three warlocks were never seen again, and whenever the people of Kaisen Mura mentioned them, a little anxiously, at dusk or at the onset of a storm, Shounen Kid would say, "You're quite safe, you know, with Shinichi and Heiji here."

And Shinichi and Heiji would grin at each other playfully and lift their proud heads high, and parade together down the street hand in hand, with their loving eyes locked into each other. And no one who saw them ever doubted that they were the bravest shounen-s in all Hokkaido.

A/N: Owari-ne! So, how did you like my parody? Good? I would like Jenny Nimmo for giving me this idea from her original fairy tale and DC for giving me the perfect characters to play the roles. He he he! I've warned you that this is more of a shounen-ai than a yaoi. What? Hey, chill, I can't come up with sexual stuff all the time! I hope you liked this as much as I did writing it. Sayonara-ne! Reviews plz!


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